Wedding Wednesday: Petal Power

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1800s, 19th Century, 2013, Art, Flowers, Victorian, Wedding, Wedding Wednesday

We have reached the half way mark to the wedding. It comes with a whirl of emotions from excitement, anticipation, eagerness, and frustration over the measured pace of the planning. Tomorrow, my planner and I are off to visit the Florists to go over blooms and blossoms.

A Victorian wedding is renown for its profusion of flowers. The abundance of flora is indicative of the Romantic Movement in aesthetics, aside the fact it was England (which is famous for its flowers). In a standard high end Christian Victorian wedding, there were flower arches inside and outside the church, pew flowers or pomanders, vases or baskets of blooms flanking the alter, with petals strewn about the aisle by the flower girls. The reception, more often was held at a home bedecked in more blossoms and greenery; garlands gracefully draped over stair railings or fireplace mantels, adorning all the tables were elaborate center pieces, and vases of such were also placed near columns. It did not end there, the bride’s dress might have “pick-ups” pinned with roses, flowers in the hair were quite common for many of the females in the wedding party. Flower crowns or wreaths were given to the flower girls. Obviously, there were the bridal bouquet, bridesmaids bouquet, boutonnieres, and Mothers and grandmother’s corsages. Fresh flowers were also seen on hats of wedding guests and used to decorate the wedding cake. Even the get-away carriage was festooned in blooms. In short, they were EVERYWHERE!

My own wedding will not resemble floral Victorian wedding for various reasons. The most important, My Fiancé and his family are deadly allergic to just about everything that grows from the ground. I have never met a group of people with such wicked allergies. To save them from the itchy, sneezing, wheezing, running nose, watery eyes, and hives, I am opting for very few fresh flowers. There will be a healthy mix of silk flowers, craft flowers, and quasi-flowers.

I am requiring the florist to incorporate purple and yellow pansies (my favorite flower, for which inspired my wedding colors), orange blossoms (the quintessential Victorian wedding flower) and a pleasing amalgamation of deep purple and lavender blooms. My bouquet will not be a tightly bound dome-shaped bundle, but something a little more loose and wild. No cascade for me either; far too heavy. It will be mix of silk and fresh.

As a lover of contrast, my Maid of Honor will be wearing a lavender dress, so I am pairing her with deep purple bouquet. While, my brides maids are donning deep purple frocks, so their bouquet will be lavender. The maids will have real-live flowers. The flower girl will be tossing both tints and shades of purple petals down the aisle. The flower girl might end up with silk petals or a mix of both.

My Fiancé, the groomsmen, the ring-bearer, the fathers and my brother will be fitted with craft roses in their buttonhole. It keeps the fresh flowers away from My Fiancé’s face. I have a friend who is making these for me, as I am not a crafty person.

The mother’s will slip on brooch-corsages, fashioned with ribbons made to look floral and enhance the pin. It gives a bit of a vintage flair and will match their contrasting metallic gowns. Again, this was done with my mother-in-law’s allergies in mind. Surprising, my own mother really loved the idea based on its practicality. She was thrilled that I am allowing the mothers to pick out their own brooch. She said she could “re-wear the brooch on another dress, jacket, coat, shrug, hip, belt, hair-piece, cardigan, hat, clutch, or purse. I want it to be beautiful! I want to always remind me of my daughter’s wedding! I want to be buried in it!” Wait–what?! Good heavens, woman! That escalated quickly! While, I am glad she is thinking long-term, that is a tall order for a lil brooch. We shall see what we end up with.

Decorative flowers will consist of silk blooms to decorate the fireplace mantel. The aisle might also have some residual petals near the “pew chairs,” prior to the flower girl’s entrance. I am setting up a spectacular escort card table for the cocktail hour that will need many fresh and silk flowers.

Marriage of King Leopold of Belgium to Marie Louise d’Orleans, 1832

I am lucky to use my Fiancé and his family as a (legitimate) excuse to pair down the flowers. To be quite honest, I find the floral budget a colossal waste of money. Do not misunderstand me, I think flowers are absolutely beautiful and gorgeous and completely alter the ambiance of the wedding experience. Thus said, as a person rooted in practicality and a brown thumb, I do not have the appreciation for flora, as others might. My wedding will be allergy free as much as possible, so I know for sure that the tears during the ceremony are ones of joy and not induced by pollen.

 

The Adventure Begins: The first days at Diamondleaf Cottage

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2013, Diamondleaf Cottage, House

Almost a month has passed since I moved into Diamondleaf and it I must admit, it has been quite the adventure . . . in a sort of plodding boring sort of way.

Today is my first live post from the Diamondleaf, since it is the first day I have internet service! I relayed to my colleague that I do not own a television, my internet was not hooked up, my phone service is not existent inside my dwelling (save for the most unusual six inch square reception area in my parlor), the heat is sporadic and my electricity flickers. She was aghast! “What on earth do you DO?! Read by candlelight?”–Pretty much. I am proud to say I am almost caught up with my reading from April. APRIL, people! That’s horrible. I am still unpacking and painting. Sky blue ceilings throughout! Oh, do not look so shocked, I said before I adore color and white walls make me cry.

I was also adopted by a cat, who may or may not be the neighbors outside cat, the local stray, or (as horrible as it is to think) the previous owner’s of the cottage, who may have just left him. I dubbed the black and white spotted feline “Macbeth.” A nice gender neutral name (if it is a boy I’d call it Mac and if it is a girl I’d call it Beth). The name came about because I am allergic to cats and My Suitor who likes to pop by the cottage is deathly allergic to cats. The first phrase when I saw the cat sitting right in front of the cottage door was “Out, out, damn spot!” Voila! Macbeth! It is also fitting that it is a literary name. S/he likes to kill pigeons and eat them in my backyard. *Sigh* I wave at Macbeth when I see him/her around. Macbeth looks at me cautiously or bored-like, as cats tend to do. I believe Macbeth hangs around, because he is trying to tell me something. My Suitor disagrees and states it is just feline curiosity; “If cats were smart, we all would be dead!”

On my first full day at Diamondleaf Cottage, I went shopping in the morning and accumulated loads of home goods for a shockingly reasonable price. I was rather proud of myself for my sensible haul. I returned to Cottage to warm up some lunch . . . the sweet and sour packet exploded in the microwave. *Deep sigh* This is going to be a trend, I am sure. I am still feeling out the home and its quirks.

I also discovered a bit about the previous owner through his mailings. NO, I did not open his letters! That would be illegal! Besides, I do not wish to pay his bills. From the catalogs and subscriptions, I gathered “Xavier” to be a soccer-playing, Catholic gambler. The man, gets so many solicitations from Casinos all over the world . . . it does make me wonder . . .

I hope you all had a lovely holiday and now that I have been reacquainted with modern age via internet service, my post should be far more regular.

Namely, This

Tags

1800s, 19th Century, 2013, Architecture, House, Victorian

What is the with the wealthy and naming inanimate objects? Their homes, their coaches, and so on. As previously discussed in prior posts, naming something gives a sense of ownership and thus responsibility to a thing (like a child or pet). It is also a means of identification and tracking (surnames for example). While some academics would loathe to admit it, naming reveals the personality and even values of the Namer. For instance, a person who names their daughter Mary after their grandmother, has different (not better or worse; just different) values and personality than a person who names their little girl Holland or Hollynn, because they have some sort of affinity for country or like the sound of the name/spelling.

Interestingly enough studies in Europe have found that a named estate/house/car increases the public’s perception of the value of said object. Thusly, named things tend to cost more. On this side of the pond (as well as globally in a modern sense) this ties in with “branding.” I once read an article in magazine of up and coming actress who was showed a rack of dresses to try on for a cover shoot. She dismissed one as hideously ugly and moved on to the next. The Stylist, in shock, stopped her and explain. “But this is Chanel!!” The actress stopped dead in her tracks and took a second look. “Ooooo! It’s Chanel!” Suddenly, she changed her mind and wore the previously “hideous dress” for the cover. *sigh*

Ah, but I digress . . . naming of estates. It was a means of identification and legacy for the landed gentry in Europe. Often times the name is derived from the owner’s family name, a distinctive feature of the nearby land or building itself, or flora and fauna found nearby. The majority of real estate names are compound words like “Edgelake.” Usually the moniker is followed by

• Castle: In the bastion/fortress sense of architecture
• Court: If the home has a interior or exterior courtyard
• Estate: The entire property and all the buildings on it
• Hall: If the home had one; think like a great room in modern parlance (but much, much, much bigger)
• House: Where the family resides
• Lake: If there was one nearby
• Manor: Usually a country house, where the Lord and Lady live
• Mote: If the land had one
• Palace: Not a castle, has it was built strictly for pleasure and show
• Place: Any residence really
• Park: If on or near a huge expanse of undeveloped land

Some names connote the size or the style of said dwelling. Roughly in order of smallest to largest, without repeating from the list above:

• Hovel
• Shack
• Cabin
• Cottage
• Digs
• Bungalow

In “Aldershot” whence I relocated, the subdivisions have an array of names. Some accurate, others woefully fantastical given the city’s residence is in the desert of Arizona.–Names like Acacia Farms (this place is a bit rural agriculture, so that fits), Desert Meadow (A meadow is a clearing . . . and a desert is . . . uh . . . a dead clearing??? Sounds a bit redundant to me) Highland Manor (Sounds like a Scottish country home! So atypical of middle Arizona landscape) Wildwood (If we had wood in the area it might be spot on, but alas we just have palo verde, palm trees, and many dead shrubs . . . )

I did named my home, because . . . well, I want to! It is a personal choice. It shall not be named in the formal sense like those in Europe which requires legal registration and change of records. I am basically dubbing my place. I wanted something that conveyed provincial glamour and local flavor. As it happens, my street has the name “Willow” in it. . . . so my estate name? Diamondleaf Cottage! Does it not dazzle?!

Every House Has A Story

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2013, History, House, Interior Design

There is a saying, “If these walls could talk, the stories it could tell!”  Like any great creator, I dwelled long and hard on the story I wish to tell. If I am to be the co-author of this new chapter in my life . . . what is my backstory? Where shall I venture? What is it I wish to convey? What encapsulates me at this stage in my lifetime? More importantly, how do I go about expressing the answers to these questions through my home?

Here you thought designers just pulled creative notions from the sky? Or decorating a home was just an assembly of items you were fond of or bought in a set? *Scoffs* You would be incorrect, my dears. If one ever reads the reviews of haute couture fashion or sells . . . home, or anything for that matter, you will often hear the creators paint a story of their Muse. It sets the tone for what visually follows; a frame of understanding, if you will.

As for my cottage’s backstory and the person I am and/or wish to be, along with all the answers to those previous questions . . .

Home Shopping

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1800s, 19th Century, 2013, House, Shopping, Victorian

Thatched Cottages at Cordeville, Auver-Sur-Oise by Vincent Van Gogh

As it happens my mind is all muddled with all things cottage related. I am nesting, what can I say? As a result there will be a weekly post on aspects of the home and interior design. I shall try not to bore you on the subject but I am super delighted about this whole endeavor!

As mentioned previously, I devised a budget and created a two year decorating plan. Yes, two years out! I am systematic like that (My family says I am “anal”, but that just sounds so distasteful.) There shall be eight phases of renovating and decorating in the next two years. See? All planned out.

My currently plain little cottage is full of potential, below is one item I am considering for each phase. With random commentary, as per usual. It will also allow a glimpse in the direction my decorating is headed.